304 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



covered the plains of Central Europe in the time of Caesar, 

 and subsequently, it is stated that all that are now living in 

 Europe consist of a herd of less than fifty in Lithuania, where 

 they are carefully preserved by the Emperor of Russia, a 

 death penalty being executed upon those who willfully mo- 

 lest them. A few are still living in the Caucasus, but even 

 there they are extremely rare. 



At present thousands of buffaloes are slaughtered every 

 day for their hides alone, which, however, have glutted the 

 market to such an extent that, whereas a few years ago they 

 were worth three dollars apiece at the railroad stations, skins 

 of bulls now bring but one dollar, and those of cows and 

 calves sixty and forty cents respectively. 



A recent short surveying expedition in Kansas led to the 

 discovery of the fact that on the south fork of the Republican, 

 upon one spot, were to be counted six thousand live hundred 

 carcasses of buffaloes, from which the hides only had been strip- 

 ped. The meat was not touched, but left to rot on the plains. 

 At a short distance hundreds more of carcasses were discov- 

 ered, and, in fact, the whole plains were dotted with putrefy- 

 ing remains of buffaloes. It was estimated that there were at 

 least two thousand hunters encamped along the plains hunt- 

 ing the buffalo. One party of sixteen stated that they had 

 killed twenty -eight hundred during the past summer, the 

 hides only being utilized. 



It is, of course, very important that some remedy should 

 be provided for this evil, but what will answer the purpose 

 it is difficult to suggest. As these animals range almost en- 

 tirely within the territories of the United States, it is within 

 the province of Congress to enact laws prohibiting their de- 

 struction, but the difficulties lie in the matter of enforcing 

 them. Possibly some provision for seizing and confiscating 

 the green hides, along certain lines of railway, or during cer- 

 tain seasons of the year, as a part of the penalty to be at- 

 tached to the violation of the law on the subject, might ac- 

 complish the result; but, at any rate, the subject is one that 

 demands the prompt attention of legislators,' in view of the 

 relationship of this animal to the welfare of the Indians, and 

 the reaction which their destitution will produce upon the 

 scattered white settlements in the vicinity of the range of 

 both buffaloes and Indians. 



